Sphygmomanometer



March 7, 1933. w. IfHUBER I SPHYGMOMANOMETER Filed July 9, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet l RED BLUE

WHITE.

GREEN WHRD-I' HUBER March 7, 1933. w, l. HUBER SPHYGMOMANOMETER FiledJuly 9, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet awuewloz whnn r- HUBERVII/fr/Illll/l/I/lll/Il!lllllIlI/ll/III affozncaa .blood in the artery,

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 'jUNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WARD I. HUBER, OFCLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO W. I. HUBER, IN 0., OF CLEVELAND, C 4 OHIO,A CORPORATION OF OHIO I SPHYGMOMANOMETEB Application filed July 9,

, My invention relates to sphygmomanom'e ters, or instruments formeasuring the pressure of the blood in an artery, and the object of theinvention is to provide a very simple instrument .wherewith pressure maybe applied gradually to an artery and thence directly to a column ofmercury to indicate visibly the pulsation and pressure of the readingsbeing obtained by suitable measuring graduations or a scale placedopposite the mercury column. As

. constructed the instrument is relatively small,

so that it may be carried by a physician in his vest pocket, the same asa pocket thermom- .eter, pencil or fountain pen, and in use it is helduprightand pressed by hand against an artery, preferably the radialartery of the wrist, the pressure being confined to a spot or smalllocalized area, and yielding means,

such as a flexible diaphragm or a small com- 7 pressible bulb, beingused to respond sensitively to the beatings of the pulse and to act onthe mercury or other indicating means.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of asphygmomanometer constructed according to my invention and as applied tothe pulse in taking blood pressure readings. Fig. 2 is a front view ofthe instrument, and Fig. 3 is a similar view with the measuring scaleelevated to bring the zero or base mark in register with the level ofthe mercury column. Fig.4 is a side elevation of the instrument, andFig. 5 a sectional view vertically thereof on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views of the upper and lower endsof the instrument, respectively. Fig. 8 is a cross section on line 8-8of Fig. 6, and Figs. 9 and 10 are cross sections on line 9-9 of Fig. 3,showing the instrument in open andclosed positions, respectively. Figs.11 and 12 are sectional and end views of a modified form of instrument,

and Figs. 13 to 15, inclusive, are sectional views of other modifiedforms of the invention.

Referring to Sheet 1 of the drawings, the n instrument delineatedtherein comprises a barrel 2 made of metal, glass, hard rubber or asuitable composition of material, which is open at one side for a partof its length and 1927. Serial N0. 204,469.

aflixedat its lower end to a knurled cylindri- ("I cury may be insufiicient amount to stand within the lower part of the tube level witha marker graduation on scale S when the flexible wall or diaphragmportion of member 5, is fully distended by the weight of the mercury. Inthis particular form of instrument the wall :or diaphragm of member 5includes or comprises a central cylindrical extension 7 having afiatcontact or pressure-applying end 9 of fixed area, either round,elliptical, or other shape, but adapted to engagethe skin and compress adefinite spot or localized ar-eavin an arm or other part of a personsbody opposite an artery therein, say at the wrist as exemplified in IFig. 1. By pressing downwardly on the instrument the artery itself iscompressed and a diastolic reading may be taken when the mercury risesin glass tube 6 and the maxi-' mum pulsation or beating of the arterycauses the mercury column to pulsate or beat correspondingly. Uponincreasing the pressure gradually the mercury will continue to rise intube 6 to successively higher levels and marks on the scale until asystolic reading may be taken at the instant pulsation ceases, that is,when the pulsating movement or tremor of the mercury stops and is nolonger visible through the transparent tube. The graduations on thescale may be numbered or lettered for measuring the blood pressure in anartery according to accepted standards, and also divided intodifferently colored zones at different elevations to permit quickreading of blood pressure conditions. For example, the lower zone orbottom portion of the scale maybe colored green to indicate a zone oflow blood pressure, the l next zone or higher series of marks may appear on a white ground toindicate a zone of normal blood pressure. Thethird zone may be colored blue to denote high blood pressure, and thehighest or top zone may be red to denote dangerously high bloodpressure.

The upper end of barrel 2 contains a supporting member 10 for the upperend of glass tube 6, a packing ring 11 serving to seal the jointtherebetween. Member 10 is counterbored to provide a valve chamber 11.having a vent plug 12 at its top and a venting slot 14 at its bottom. Aball 15 is-confined within chamber 11, but this ball does not close'slot 14 when seated; it only acts as a valve member when lifted by themercury against the tapered bottom of vent plug 12. Closure of the upperend of the mercury tube may be accomplished in other ways, and thereforeI do not limit myself to this specific venting and closing device asshown.

Scale member S is semi-circular in cross section and of a diameter totit and rotate Within barrel '2, and it is also supported to slidelongitudinally within the barrel, one edge thereof being connected by apin 16 to an outer tube 17 which is sleeved over barrel 2 and free toturn and slide in respect thereto. One side of this outer tube or sleeve17 is open lengthwise thereof to correspond with the open side of barrel2, whereby the glass tube and the scale member may be exposed to viewwhen the openings are in register, but covered and protected when theouter tube or sleeve 17 is rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, seeFig. 10. Pin 16 extends through a slot or notch 18 in one edge of thesemi-circular wall H of barrel 2 to permit the scale member to beshifted longitudinally of the barrel. when the protecting sleeve 17 isturned to a fully .open position. Sleeve 17 may therefore be movedlengthwise on barrel 2, and the scale S shifted in corresponding degree,thus permitting a preliminary setting of the scale in respect to thehead or top of the column of mercury. For instance, the top of themercury column may not be in register with the starting mark on scale S,say mark 50 as in Fig. 2, but the scale may be raised by upward shiftingof. sleeve 17 until mark 50 and the top of the mercury column coincideas in Fig. 3.

Other embodiments of the invention are delineated on Sheet 2 of thedrawings. Thus an exceptionally desirable form of instrument .is shownin Figs. 11 and 12, comprising a mercuryv tube 19 having an enlargementor well 20 at its lower end .in open communication with a compressiblebulb 21 which is secured to the base part 22 of the instrument by acoupling nut23 or equivalent means.

Bulb 21 may be made of rubber or other suitable material adapted topermit the side Walls to yield or collapse when the instrument ispressed downwardly over or against an artery, thereby forcing themercury upwardly within the glass tube in corresponding de gree. In sodoing it is highly desirable to effect a marked jumping or pulsatingmovement of the mercury in the tube, and this result is obtained bymaking the diaphragm portion or applicator area or Wall 2 ofthe bulbrelatively thin and flexible to receive and transmit the beatings of thepulse or artery while the stiffer corner portions 25 of the bulb apply astronger pressure to the artery and effect constriction thereof. Inother words,

the edge portion of the applicator isused as an artery constrictor, andthe central part of the applicator is used as a sensitive transmitterfor the pulse beats. As a result the pulse beats become plainly visiblein the tube during the rise of the mercury column in the tube. Thecontact face or diaphragm portion of the applicator is also preferablylonger than it is wide, say of elliptical shape, to more effectivelyspan the artery and to provide a free flexing pulse-beat transmitter.The pulsating movement of the mercury in the glass tube is alsoincreased or made more distinct by using a bore of reduced diameter inthe upper part of the tube and by providing a well in the lower endthereof. The up per end of this instrument also contains a valved ventdevice 26.

In Fig. 13, I show a pressure applicator and beat transmitter 27 made ofthin metal and corrugated or pleated to permit it to freely expand andcollapse. In Fig. 14 the hollow base part 31 of the instrument containsa hollow piston 32 and a spring 33, the bottom opening in the pistonbeing closed by a thin web or wall 34 of rubber or other flexiblematerial. The circular bottom edge 35 of this piston serves to applypressure in a circle to the arm and an artery therein, while the. wallor diaphragm 34 acts as a transmitter for the pulse beats. In Fig. 15, aglass tube 36 extends into a mercury chamber 37 in a hollow base 38having an air duct 39 extending from the top of said chamber downwardlyto an air chamber 40 the bottom wall 41 of whichis, made of rubber orother yielding material whereby a yielding constricting pressure may beapplied to an artery and the air in lower chamber 40 compressedsufficiently to displace the mercury in upper chamber 37 and.

member and communicating with the bottom of said tube for constrictingan artery and transferring the pulsations of the artery to the fluid insaid tube.

In testimony whereof I aflix mylsignature.

WARD I. UBER.

1. A sphygmomanometer, comprising a transparent tube and a collapsibledevice at the bottom of said tube containing mercury, the lower wall ofsaid device forming a yieldable closure member adapted to displace apart of the mercury and cause it to rise in the tube under pressure,said device having a pressure-applying side-wall of greater stiffnessthan the lower wall of said device adapted to compress a blood vessel,and means at the upper end of said tube adapted to automatically openand close the same.

2. A sphygmomanometer, comprising a transparent tube having measuringindicia lengthwise thereof, a collapsible device at the bottom of saidtube including integral portions of suflicient stiffness to apply aconstricting pressure to an artery, and integral portions of lessstiffness than said first portions to transfer the pulsations of theartery while it is being constricted, and a fluid within said tubeexposed to said device and adapted to be displaced by the movements ofboth portions thereof.

3. A sphygmomanometer, comprising a transparent tube having acollapsible device at its bottom containing mercury, the bottom of saiddevice being a yieldable diaphragm, and the walls surrounding saiddiaphragm being of greater stiffness than said diaphragm and adapted tobe used for constricting a blood vessel, and the upper part of said tubebeing open to atmospheric pressure.

4. A sphygmomanometer, comprising a slotted barrel, a slotted sleeverotatably mounted upon said barrel, a transparent tube within saidbarrel, means supporting a scale within said barrel opposite said'tube,and collapsible means affixed to the open bottom of said barrelcontaining mercury, said means being adapted to constrict a blood vesselby vertical pressure applied to the barrel and simultaneously force aportion of the mercury upwardly into said tube.

5. A sphygmomanometer, comprising a tubular frame member, a transparenttube telescoped into said frame member, means on opposite ends of saidframe member for supporting said tube in axial alignment with respect tosaid frame member, a fluid within said tube, and hollow means includinga flexible bottom wall supported by said frame

